Tissue Engineering
Chairman: N. Neves, nuno@dep.uminho.pt
General Description:
Tissue engineering is an emerging interdisciplinary field that can be
included in the broader area of regenerative medicine. It aims at developing
new solutions for unmet clinical needs using the guidelines defined for
advanced therapies. Tissue engineering holds the promise to develop new
systems and devices that facilitate or promote the regeneration of human
tissues using distinct combinations of biomaterial structures, cells
and
bioactive molecules. When all those ingredients are combined, the
biomaterial is aimed at providing a temporary structure for the
cells.
Together with the bioactive molecules, it allows controlling the
milieu
necessary for the cells to carry on the regenerative process in-vivo.
This
area of research has many interfaces and complementarities with
the more
established field of artificial organs. Many of the requirements
of
artificial organs are shared with those of the systems developed
for
application in tissue engineering strategies. The huge interest
of linking
the two communities follows from the need to learn the lessons
of the past
experience of both communities. The common challenges and the need
to
successfully accomplish those challenges to enhance the quality
of life of
patients is a very strong and shared motivation to create a dynamic
and
active Working Group on Tissue Engineering within the European
Society for
Artificial Organs.